# K. Manikandan

K. Manikandan is an Indian screenwriter and actor who works in the Tamil film industry. He is best known of his characters in Jai Bhim (2021), Good Night (2023), Lover (2024) and Kudumbasthan (2025).

## Career

Manikandan participated in Kalakka povathu Yaaru Season 4 (Vijay TV) and finished as the runner-up of the season. Subsequently, he joined an FM channel as a radio jockey while also dubbing/voice acting for several films and TV shows.
He debuted as a writer with Pizza II: Villa (2013). He made his acting debut with India Pakistan (2015) and played a minor role in the Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum (2016) directed by Nalan Kumarasamy. Manikandan then played an antagonist in Sri Ganesh's debut directorial venture 8 Thottakkal (2017) alongside M. S. Bhaskar and Lallu. He penned the dialogues for Pushkar–Gayathri's third directorial venture Vikram Vedha (2017) and also played a role of a police constable in the film. In 2018, Pa. Ranjith picked Manikandan for a role in Kaala (2018). He paired with Nivedithaa Sathish in the romantic anthology film Sillu Karupatti (2019), directed by Halitha Shameem. Manikandan received critical acclaim for his role in the film, Aelay (2021).
Manikandan directed an independent film Narai Ezhuthum Suyasaritham (English Title: Endless) starring Delhi Ganesh and himself. The film was selected to participate in Bengaluru International Film Festival (2016) under ‘Indian Cinema Competition’. Endless was one of the four films to be selected for screening at 16th New York Indian Film Festival (2016).
He played the role of Rajakannu in the film Jai Bhim (2021) and won critical acclaim for his portrayal. He played the lead role in movie Good Night (2023) which became an audience favourite. In 2024, he starred in Lover, a romantic drama that received positive reviews for its realistic portrayal of modern relationships. He also joined hands with debutant director Rajeshwar Kalisamy for Kudumbasthan, which was released on 24 January 2025 in theaters to positive reviews from critics.

## Filmography
### As actor

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Pizza II: Villa | Assistant director | Uncredited Appearance |
| 2015 | India Pakistan | Mani | |
| 2015 | Indru Netru Naalai | | Assistant Director (edited by Ronald M) |
| 2016 | Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum | Murali | |
| 2017 | 8 Thottakkal | Jai | |
| 2017 | Vikram Vedha | Santhanam | Behindwoods Gold Medal - Best Dialogue Writer |
| 2018 | Kaala | Lenin | |
| 2019 | Sillu Karuppatti | Mukhilan | |
| 2020 | Paava Kadhaigal | Driver | Released on Netflix |
| 2021 | Aelay | Paarthi | Released on Star Vijay & Netflix |
| 2021 | Netrikann | Manikandan | Released on Disney+ Hotstar |
| 2021 | Jai Bhim | Rajakannu | Released on Amazon Prime Video Behindwoods Gold Medal - Best Actor Critics |
| 2022 | Narai Ezhudhum Suyasaridham | Manikandan | Directing debut; completed in 2016 |
| 2022 | Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal | Rajasekar | |
| 2023 | Good Night | Choolaimedu Mohan | |
| 2024 | Lover | Arun | |
| 2025 | Kudumbasthan | Naveen | |

### Web series

| Year | Film | Role | Platform |
| 2023 | Mathagam | Padalam Sekhar | Disney+ Hotstar |

### As writer and director

| Year | Film | Credited as | Credited as | Notes |
| Year | Film | Writer | Director | Notes |
| 2013 | Pizza II: Villa | Y | N | |
| 2016 | Narai Ezhuthum Suyasaritham | Y | Y | Directing debut; completed in 2016 |
| 2017 | Vikram Vedha | Y | N | Best Dialogue Writer |
| 2019 | Viswasam | Y | N | |
| 2019 | Thambi | Y | N | |
| 2022 | Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal | Y | N | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Network |
| 2008 | Kalakka Povathu Yaaru? | Participant | Star Vijay |
| 2024 | Super Singer Season 10 | Guest | Star Vijay |

### As dubbing artist

* The Greatest of All Time (2024) for Vijayakanth (AI appearance)